New technology resurrects an ancient Chinese UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery from Saturday, Dec. 1 through Sunday, Dec. 9. "Pure Land: Inside the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang" is an immersive digital recreation of a Chinese Buddhist cave, on view for the first time in the U.S. as part of the Sackler's 25th anniversary celebrations. Using 3D modeling, animations, video and recoloring, the installation makes colorful murals come alive with floating figures, performing musicians and a looming 3-D Buddha sculpture, allowing visitors to step inside a hyper-real tour of one of the world's most important treasures.

Fifteen-minute timed tickets will be available free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Sackler's visitors' desk 10 a.m.–5:15 p.m., Dec. 1–Dec. 9. Only 10 people will be allowed in the installation at a time.

For media unable to attend the preview, viewing appointments can be made with the press office at pressasia@si.edu.

"Pure Land" is a project of the Run Run Shaw Creative Media Center of the City University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with the ALIVE project and Dunhuang Academy. The Sackler's presentation is made possible by the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation.